Dark and Light
by Cherry Romancer
Summary: Rated for later chapters. Yugi Moto is a lonely boy with no friends. Yami is a man of the hidden Shadow Realm. Readreview!
1. At A Glance

"Dark and Light"  
  
Prologue  
  
"At A Glance"  
  
Cherry: Okay guys, I know I've said there's too many yaoi stories featuring you two out there, but I've always wanted to write one myself, particularly since I think you'd make a cute couple.  
  
Yugi: Oh brother! What about your other story?  
  
Yami: Yes. That one seemed to be popular. Keep with that one until it's done, then do a sequel! Don't write a yaoi story.  
  
Cherry: (isn't listening) Yugi, do the disclaimer.  
  
Yugi: Cherry doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! (thinks: Thank God.) She doesn't own me, Yami, or any of the other characters.  
  
Cherry: For the time being, though, Yugi and Yami are under my command! (locks door)  
  
Yugi and Yami: (anime sweatdrop) Uh-oh . . .  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi Moto walked quietly down the street, his book bag on his shoulders. He glanced backwards at the building he was leaving and sighed; he really hated school, and he wished that he didn't have to return in the morning to the place where he was practically nonexistent. The only sort of attention he did seem to attract was from bullies who got a huge kick of torturing the little guy, and Yugi, being as tiny as he was, most certainly qualified as the "little guy."  
  
There were a few students who noticed the pain and hurt that Yugi went through, but they were reluctant to do anything about it because of their reputations. Ryou Himori and his girlfriend Anzu Mazaki, for example, were two of the most popular people in the school, and they wanted Yugi's pain to stop, but didn't want to risk their popularity to do it. Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto also saw. They were a pair of punks that could hardly be seen without each other. (There were a few rumors going around that they were involved, but they weren't.) Jou felt especially sorry for Yugi because when he had been a kid, Jou had been picked on just the same way, but again, reputations stopped them from taking action.  
  
As Yugi thought of the bullies and their promise to give him a beating the next day if he didn't have enough money for them, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning to take a proper look, the sight before Yugi's eyes caused his breath to catch in his throat.  
  
His eyes had locked with a pair of dazzling ruby eyes set in a handsome . . . no, handsome was not the word. The eyes were set in a gorgeous face (though Yugi still felt that didn't do it justice) that was similar to his own, except with a maturity that Yugi had yet to reach. He stood taller than Yugi, and his body was not exactly muscular, but lean and well-built. He also had the same spiky red, black, and gold hair that Yugi had.  
  
Yugi felt himself blushing. He had never seen anyone more gorgeous in his life. The man was extremely attractive.  
  
All at once, the man was gone. Yugi blinked. Had that been his imagination? It made sense, considering Yugi was attracted to guys as well as girls, and he may imagine someone sexy like that, but for some reason, Yugi didn't think that he had been dreaming.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: Well? What do you think? Nothing too serious for the first chapter.  
  
Yami: It might have been nice if you'd let someone talk a little.  
  
Cherry: Maybe, but that's for next chapter.  
  
Yugi: Yeah, if you say so. Please, remember to review! Give lots of reviews so that she doesn't get upset and hug someone!  
  
Cherry: Watch it Yugi! 


	2. Observing

"Dark and Light"  
  
Prologue Two  
  
"Observing"  
  
Yugi: Cherry's off in another room right now.  
  
Yami: Damn her taking the key with her. We still can't get out!  
  
Yugi: Well, at least we have a break from her obsessive fandom.  
  
Yami: True enough Aibou. Now, let's start, shall we?  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
As he watched the small, innocent-seeming teenage boy walk in his direction, the man who preferred to be called Yami couldn't help but notice the sad expression on the little one's face. Seeing that made Yami's heart wrench. He was quite attracted to the boy; he had been for a long time. Yami had been watching Yugi for several months now, wondering if this young child was the one he and his clan were looking for. Thus far, he had seen only signs of affirmation, nothing arguing that Yugi had what they needed.  
  
Yami came from another place called the Shadow Realm. It was a world that was filled with darkness, but the people within that place were good people, just as the people of this world, the Light Realm, were. He, Yami, was among the high-ranking leaders of the Shadow Realm, and one of the few that knew of the existence of both worlds. He was also one of the even fewer who could exist in both realms. Usually, when a person of the Shadow Realm came to the Light Realm, they became extremely sick and wasted away if they didn't return to their world, and the same held true for a person of the Light Realm who came to the Shadow Realm. Yami, however, had been born with the ability to survive in both places, something for which he was extremely glad of when he was asked to watch little Yugi.  
  
Yami had to admit that he was deeply impressed by the boy's strong resolve. Though he knew Yugi didn't think of himself as such, the boy was a very strong person, capable of remaining cheerful even though nothing but misery poured at him from every direction. Yugi had no friends at school, he was continuously tortured by bullies, and a few months ago, Yugi had lost his parents in a car accident. He now lived with his grandfather, Sugoroku Moto, who owned a small game shop that, in all honesty, had poor business. Despite all of this, though, Yugi was never miserable, and he never broke down. Yami knew this from watching the child's every move, and he was now thoroughly drawn to the teenager.  
  
While he was thinking of all of this, Yugi stopped walking. Yami noticed that the boy was only a few feet away from him. Oh, how desperately he wanted to go and at least introduce himself to Yugi! Yami knew, though, that it was forbidden. He must not let Yugi know who he was yet, not until he got approval.  
  
All at once, Yugi looked up at Yami, his amethyst eyes capturing Yami's own ruby ones. Yami felt as though he were under a spell. By the Gods, this boy was beautiful! His eyes were so expressive, innocent, and pure! Yami had a sudden longing to go over to Yugi and cover his little body in kisses. Fortunately, though, he remembered that he couldn't let Yugi know who he was. Gathering his power, Yami instantly retreated to the Shadow Realm, desperately hoping that Yugi would think he only imagined the whole thing.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami: Well, that's prologue part two! I still wish that someone would talk.  
  
Yugi: Cherry said that was for the first real chapter! Stop complaining.  
  
Yami: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, remember to review now! We all love it when there are a lot of reviews!  
  
Yugi: See ya!  
  
Cherry: (comes back into the room) Hey! You did the chapter without me!!!!! 


	3. Planning

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Planning"  
  
Cherry: I'm still mad at you two for doing the second part of the prologue without me. (pouts)  
  
Yugi: Oh, come on! It's not that big a deal, right?  
  
Yami: Yes, and look at all the reviews you got!  
  
Cherry: (looks) Yay! You're right!! However, if you do that again, I will be forced to "cuddle" you to death!  
  
Yugi: We'll never do it again!!  
  
Cherry: Now, one more thing. To those who said that I need longer chapters, those technically weren't chapters. They were a two-part prologue. Don't worry. I'll be writing with real length now.  
  
Yugi's thoughts {Yami's thoughts} %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
"Hi, Grandpa!" Yugi called as soon as he was in the front door of his grandfather's game shop.  
  
"Hello, Yugi!" Sugoroku answered. "How was your day today?"  
  
"Same as always," Yugi answered. "I'm going to go do my homework." With that, Yugi headed upstairs to the apartment over the shop where he and his grandfather lived. Upon entering his bedroom, Yugi flung his book bag onto the chair next to his desk and flopped onto his bed, thinking about the young man he'd seen on his way home.  
  
I wonder who he was. It was odd, but there was something about him . . . I don't even know his name and I feel attracted to him.   
  
Yugi got up, sat down at his desk, and started to pull out his homework. He stared blankly at his English assignment for a while, still daydreaming. Yugi looked out his window and thought, I hope I see him again.   
  
~*~*~  
  
Yami appeared in the bedroom of his apartment in the Shadow Realm. Even though he could live in the Light Realm, he had been born and raised here, and he always felt more comfortable when he was home.  
  
Yami sighed as he walked into his living room. Dropping onto his couch, his thoughts drifted to Yugi, as they often did recently. Yami was drawn to Yugi like no other before, and considering the number of people Yami had been involved with in the past, that was truly saying something. Yugi was an incredible person, and Yami was honestly shocked that he had no friends. Poor Yugi deserved so much better than what he got . . .  
  
Yami's thoughts were brought back down to Earth with an unpleasant bump when he heard someone knocking rather rudely on his front door. Frowning, knowing who it must be, Yami shouted, "It's open Bakura!"  
  
Sure enough, the white-haired, evil-eyed son of a bitch walked into Yami's apartment, wearing a frown to match Yami's. The two of them had never been overtly fond of each other; in fact they had been enemies ever since they were children. Bakura was extremely jealous of Yami, who was much stronger and more talented in almost everything than Bakura, whereas Yami just found Bakura to be extremely irritating. Unfortunately, Bakura and Yami were both among the Shadow Realm leaders, and they had to communicate from time to time.  
  
"Well?" Bakura asked with no pleasantries. Yami's eyebrow twitched a bit in irritation of having to answer any of Bakura's questions.  
  
"He's the one, alright," Yami said simply. "He's got all the signs, and nothing negative this time. Yugi's got what we need."  
  
"Very well," the spike-haired asshole said. "Report to Kaiba as soon as possible." He turned on his heel and strode out the door. Yami got up, stormed over to the door, and slammed it shut behind Bakura. He turned to sit down again, but there was another knock on the door before he took two strides. Beyond annoyed now, Yami turned right around and flung the door open.  
  
His best friend, Mai, was on the other side, and she looked faintly amused. Smirking, she said, "I take it Bakura was here?"  
  
Frowning, Yami let her in. "Of course he was. Lousy lazy asshole."  
  
Mai snorted. She happened to share Yami's low opinion of Bakura; there were few in the Shadow Realm who didn't, and to make it worse, Bakura was constantly hitting on Mai and trying to feel her up. The usual response he got from that was Mai screaming, "HENTAI!!" and a sharp slap in the face. (A/n: If you need a visual for that, just think of Sango and Miroku from Inu-Yasha.)  
  
"Anyway, I came to ask, does this boy have . . ." Mai let the sentence trail off, knowing that Yami would know what she was asking.  
  
"He does indeed," Yami said. "As soon as I get the go-ahead from Kaiba, I'm leaving for the Light Realm, and I won't be back until Yugi's ready to be brought."  
  
Mai nodded. "Maybe I'll come and visit you sometime," she said. Mai was another one with the ability to exist in both realms.  
  
Yami smiled. "I'd like that. A familiar face now and again will keep my mind on the mission." Sighing, his smile fading, Yami sat back down.  
  
Mai gave him a soft look. "You're really into that kid, aren't you?" Being his best friend, Mai knew everything about Yami, including the attraction he felt towards the young boy from the Light Realm.  
  
"Yes, I am," Yami groaned. "I tried to deny it, but I really am. I wish that we didn't have to do this, but if we don't the people of the Shadow Realm will eventually die."  
  
Mai came over and gave Yami an encouraging hug. "It's alright, Yami. You know that there's always a chance that he'll be okay, and if he is, there's no rule that says you can't be with him then."  
  
Yami smiled. Mai was right, of course. Once the whole thing was over, if Yugi was still himself, then he could be with the young boy. The thought was far more cheering than Yami thought it would be.  
  
"I hope you're right, Mai," Yami said. He stood up. "I'd best go report to Kaiba. The sooner I get started, the sooner this is all over with."  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: And another chapter is complete! I'm feeling happy!  
  
Yami: Well, just go on and do your little happy dance. I can tell you want to.  
  
Cherry: You're right! I will! (does her happy dance)  
  
Yugi: Well, people, you know the drill! Remember to review. 


	4. Love at Second Sight

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Love at Second Sight"  
  
Yami: What the hell type of chapter title is that?  
  
Cherry: The type that plays on a cliché! It's good, and it makes sense. You'll see!  
  
Yugi: I don't know about you sometimes, Cherry. You just scare me.  
  
Cherry: (evil grin) Ha! I am frightening! I am evil! Fear me!!! (goes off into a rant about being evil)  
  
Yami: (sighs and looks at Yugi) You just had to get her started, didn't you?  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi pulled his black t-shirt over his head. It was Thursday morning, and he needed to get ready for school. Pulling up his blue jeans, Yugi let out a sigh. He wanted to be home-schooled. In his opinion, there was nothing worse than to be a non-entity to people your own age. One friend! That was all he wanted! Just one!!  
  
Yugi stifled a sob as tears started to slide down his soft cheeks. He quickly wiped them away and continued to get ready for school. Yugi did not like to cry; he was already weak enough as it was, and crying would get him anywhere. There was no point to shedding tears over something he wasn't able to change. Yugi decided to put those depressing thoughts out of his mind. He hated to think about things that didn't make him happy.  
  
~THUMP!~  
  
While he had been mentally lecturing himself about being upset and crying, he had been trying to pull on a sock while standing up, and the result was he fell down onto the floor. Painfully, he pulled himself up, deciding to stop thinking entirely until he was out the door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Ryou-kun! Wait for me!" Anzu called. Ryou turned and smiled at her, stopping his quick march to the front doors of the school to wait for his girlfriend. As soon as they were next to each other, Anzu kissed him sweetly.  
  
"Good morning Anzu-chan!" Ryou said cheerfully. Anzu gave him a mock frown.  
  
"How come you're always so damned chipper in the morning?" she asked teasingly.  
  
"Simple. I'm a morning person. It's really late nights that I can't stand," Ryou answered, drawing a laugh from someone behind them. They turned and saw Jounouchi standing behind them. This made them both smile. They were really very fond of their blonde friend, even if he was a bit of a punk.  
  
"Konn'chiwa Jou-chan!" Anzu said happily.  
  
"Konn'chiwa Anzu-chan, Ryou-chan!" Jounouchi answered. "Have either of you seen Honda around? I've been looking for him, but no sign of him."  
  
"He called me this morning, said he was sick," Ryou explained. "He's not going to be in school today."  
  
"That means that however you earn today's detention, you'll be doing it alone!" Anzu teased.  
  
Jounouchi smirked at her. "Maybe I'll drag you to detention with me, smart- ass!" he said.  
  
"No, that won't be necessary," Anzu said quickly. She had a perfect, no- detention record and she didn't plan on ruining it now.  
  
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ryou spied a short boy with wild, spiky, tri-colored hair making his lone way to the school. For a moment, he thought that it was Yugi, but a second look told him that there was no way that this person was Yugi Moto. First of all, he was too tall. Second, his eyes were the wrong color and shape. Third, he positively radiated self- esteem. Ryou blinked. He'd never seen this guy before.  
  
"Who's that over there?" he said, causing Anzu and Jou to notice him too. They both seemed confused when they realized that it wasn't Yugi.  
  
"I have no idea," Anzu said, and she knew almost everybody in the school. "Do you think he's new?"  
  
"He must be. I'd remember seeing another guy with Yugi's wild hairstyle around," Jou said.  
  
Then they saw their little loner, walking quickly and quietly up a different set of steps. Anzu sighed miserably. She and her friends wanted so badly for things to change for him, but were unsure how to without condescending their own images.  
  
The first bell rang, causing them to snap to attention. "Oh no! Hurry! We're going to be late!!" Anzu cried as they started running towards the school.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Yami saw Ryou, Anzu, and Jounouchi watching him, and then watching Yugi. He smiled ruefully to himself. Those three wanted to help Yugi, but were afraid to; he knew from his time observing Yugi and the people around him. He also watched a few other people from the time he realized that Yugi was perfect. He needed to know how high school student acted if he was going to pretend to be one.  
  
In order to get Yugi ready for the Shadow Realm, he needed to get near him, and what better way than to become a part of Yugi's world? While Yami may have felt uncomfortable about having to live in the Light Realm for a time, he knew that becoming close to Yugi would make it worth it. If he was lucky, maybe he and Yugi could go on a couple of dates before they had to go. Yami had to admit, he liked the idea of having some fun with Yugi, even if it was in the Light Realm. And as an added bonus, if he did get that close to Yugi, it would be easier to give Yugi some of his ability to exist in both worlds.  
  
Yami turned to watch Yugi enter the school. The small boy hadn't noticed Yami. He had to smile to himself. He was looking forward to his first day in Yugi Moto's world.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yugi sat down at his desk, hoping and praying that the day would go by quickly. The rest of his class came into the room, followed shortly by the teacher as the second bell rang.  
  
"Good morning everyone! I'm so happy to see all of you're bright and shining faces this morning!" the overly perky teacher, Mrs. Tsukino, said. Yugi heard someone behind him sigh. He glanced backwards and saw the class teacher's pet, Shizuka Katsuya, staring adoringly at the teacher. Shizuka was Jounouchi's sister, and even though she was sweet, she was the object of much teasing because of her thick glasses. Even though she was in the same sort of position of Yugi, she at least had some friends, and she never even noticed him. Once upon a time, Yugi had had a crush on her, but he'd gotten over it fairly quickly when he found out that she was interested in Honda Hiroto.  
  
"Well, now, since you're all so wide awake . . ." and the half of the class that had been asleep woke up. "Let's get right down to work. Okay now . . ."  
  
The classroom door opened and a low, rich voice came in through it. "Excuse me, but are you Mrs. Tsukino?"  
  
"Yes I am," she said, her smile becoming even wider. Yugi wondered why her face hadn't already split in half.  
  
"Come on in. Class, please, I'd like you to welcome our new student, Yami Tomoe."  
  
Yugi just glanced up, but did a double take when he realized that this was the same guy he'd seen the day before. Yami was slightly short, but not so short as Yugi was, and today he wore a black sleeveless shirt, a pair of black leather pants, a black collar, had silver bracelets on both his wrists, and from his left ear dangled a silver cross.  
  
Yugi nearly started drooling, and he wasn't the only one. Almost every girl in the class was staring. Yugi could practically hear them all thinking, "How will I get him before the other girls in here do?" He rolled his eyes. Yami was extremely hot and sexy, and Yugi was interested as well, but he knew better than to hope for anything to happen: why would anyone notice small, weak, insignificant Yugi, especially someone who had his pick of people to date?  
  
Yugi felt a strong shaft of pain lance through his heart. He was surprised that the thought of never being noticed by Yami hurt him so much, but it did. He'd felt attracted to Yami when he'd seen him yesterday, but now, Yugi realized that this was probably much, MUCH more than an attraction. Yugi sighed when he realized that at a glance, he had fallen in love.  
  
"Okay, now, where to put . . . ah, there! Next to Mr. Moto!" Mrs. Tsukino said, pointing to a desk between Yugi and the window.  
  
Yugi's eyes widened and he blushed, unable to believe his incredible luck. Maybe he could at least introduce himself to the walking sexual fantasy coming his way. (A/n: Play on words there! Tee hee!)  
  
Yami sat down and turned his eyes to Yugi. "You're the kid I saw yesterday, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
Yugi blinked. He hadn't expected him to remember that at all. He was so surprised that the last second of the brief encounter, the moment when Yami had disappeared, was driven clean out of his mind. All Yugi could focus on now was Yami's breathtaking, gorgeous, ruby-colored eyes.  
  
"Uh-huh," Yugi said breathlessly.  
  
Yami smiled. "I thought so. I knew it because I remember your eyes."  
  
Yugi's blush deepened. He could hardly believe this was happening. No one had ever paid him attention before in any positive way, and now here was this striking young man actually talking nicely to him!! This was incredible!  
  
"Mr. Moto? Mr. Tomoe? While I understand that making friends is important, could you please save it until after class?" Mrs. Tsukino's annoyingly happy voice said. She turned back to the blackboard and began writing notes, which Yugi began to copy, his face still burning. About halfway through class, Yami slipped a note onto his desk. Blinking, Yugi picked it up, unfolded it, and read it.  
  
"Let's sit together at lunch. You seem like a nice person, and I'd like to be friends with you. Sit together at lunch? Yes or no."  
  
Yugi smiled and wrote back: "Okay, sure. I'd like to be friends with you too. Wait for me after class. I'll show you the way."  
  
He folded the note back up and passed it back to Yami, who smiled and nodded.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yami gave himself a mental pat on the back for his performance. He was glad he had managed to act well enough to convince Yugi that he was just another student in the masses, and was filled with a warm feeling when he noticed Yugi blushing and constantly sneaking side glances at him. Yami hoped that Mai was right about when the ceremony was over. Now that he had managed to talk to Yugi, he didn't want to let go of him ever. The soft sound of his voice was addictive, even if he'd only said, "Uh-huh."  
  
Yami made himself a promise. Because there was only a slim chance that Yugi would be the same once all was said and done, he decided that he would take the chance to win Yugi's heart beforehand.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: (is still ranting about being evil)  
  
Yugi: You know, I really hate her right now. I want to know what's going on, and what the problem in the Shadow Realm is.  
  
Yami: So do I! I hate it when people leave huge mysteries in the plot!  
  
Cherry: (stops her rant) Well, there's nothing you two can do about it, because I'm the one writing the story!!  
  
Yugi: Oh, fine. Anyway, remember to review people!  
  
Cherry: (hugs Yugi)  
  
Yugi: ACK!!! 


	5. Official Introductions

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Official Introductions"  
  
Cherry: Hey, look at all the lovely reviews! I've never gotten so many reviews for one chapter!  
  
Yami: You're writing skills must be improving. People are enjoying your work more.  
  
Cherry: Yes, they are enjoying it more, that they are! (is talking like Kenshin)  
  
Yugi: Please don't start with the Kenshin speech.  
  
Cherry: I can talk any way I want to, that I can.  
  
Yami: Start the freakin' chapter already. She's just going to drive us nuts.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
That day at lunch, Jounouchi, Ryou, and Anzu watched as the new student who, according to Anzu's gossip, had half of the female population of the school in his hand just from first glance. He was walking with the vastly unpopular Yugi Moto to a table, and he had a friendly (and gorgeous) smile on his face that plainly said that he didn't see anything wrong with sitting with him.  
  
"Do you think that, maybe, we were wrong to not try and be friends with him?" Ryou asked. "I mean, sure, he's a strange kid, and really unpopular and everything, but we could have at least tried."  
  
"You're probably right, Ryou-kun," Anzu sighed. "If I felt bad about him before, it's nothing to now."  
  
"Well, let's go over and introduce ourselves now," Jou said, standing up from the table they were sitting at. "It's not like there's any harm in saying hi."  
  
They three of them got up and made their way across the cafeteria to the two spiky-haired teens.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yugi silently led Yami Tomo (A/n: I misspelled that in the last chapter. I meant to make it a play on Yugi's last name.) to an empty table; it was the same table tat he sat at every day, out of the line of sight of a lot of the bullies. He was still too stunned to speak, unable to believe that Yami wanted to get to know him, the quiet, shy, weak, weird outcast of the school.  
  
As they sat down at the table, Yami noted how Yugi hadn't spoken a word. He wanted to hear his voice; he loved the soft sound of the little one's quiet voice.  
  
"Well?" he said simply.  
  
Yugi looked up and answered, "W-well what?"  
  
"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" Yami replied. "I thought that becoming friends included conversation."  
  
Yugi's already pale pink cheeks turned red. Yami smirked. "I-I'm sorry. I'm j-just not used t-to talking to people m-my own age," he stuttered.  
  
Yami almost started snickering, but caught himself when he realized that Yugi might be offended or hurt if he did. Instead, he said, "Why not? You seem like a perfectly nice person. As a matter of fact, why aren't we sitting with your other friends? I'd like to meet them."  
  
Yami knew full well what the reason was, but he had to pretend he didn't have a clue. As he expected, Yugi's face fell.  
  
"I d-don't have any f-friends," he whispered. In the noisy cafeteria, it was almost inaudible.  
  
Yami put a look of shock on his face. "None? That can't be right. Why not?"  
  
Yugi didn't answer. Instead, he picked up his sandwich and took a bite, hoping that he wouldn't seem rude.  
  
Yami decided that he had better not press the subject; he knew, after all, how much it hurt Yugi to think about it.  
  
"Hi there!" a bright and cheerful voice came. Yugi and Yami looked up to see Anzu, Ryou, and Jounouchi standing there with their lunches.  
  
"Mind if we join you? My name's Anzu, this is Ryou, and that's Jounouchi," Anzu said.  
  
Yami looked at Yugi, who just sat there, looking rather terrified. Yami followed his gaze and realized that his eyes were on Jounouchi, who did have a rather bad reputation. Yami looked up at the three teens standing before them. "As long as you promise no funny stuff. I don't know why, but Yugi-chan seems rather nervous around you."  
  
Yugi pulled his gave away from Jou to look at Yami. Yugi-chan?  
  
"Of course," Ryou said as they sat down. "We'd never do anything like that."  
  
"On my honor!" Jounouchi said, holding up his right hand.  
  
Anzu snorted with amusement. "That's not much to swear on," she teased. Jou simply glared at her and turned to Yugi.  
  
"Yugi-sama, I have a confession to make. We all do, in fact," Jounouchi said, looking at his two friends.  
  
"We're sorry Yugi-sama. We've been watching all the bullying you've been going through and we haven't done a thing about it because we were afraid of ruining our reputations," Ryou said.  
  
"We've wanted to, but we didn't," Anzu added.  
  
"We're sorry," Jounouchi finished.  
  
Yugi looked at them in amazement. There had been people other than the bullies that were aware of who he was? This was a complete revelation to Yugi. He never expected this to ever happen.  
  
"So, if you're willing to let bygones be bygones, how about we all just try to be friends?" Anzu asked, holding out her hand.  
  
Yugi sat there trembling, looking frightened out of his mind. Anzu was not insulted when he didn't shake her hand; in fact, she would have been surprised if he had. They all knew fully well how shy and withdrawn the boy was thanks to the lifelong torture. Instead, she took the initiative for herself and pulled Yugi's hand into her own.  
  
This seemed to snap Yugi out of his trance-like state. He was still shaking, but at least he gripped Anzu's hand, if rather gently. She smiled. She had to admit, she liked the feel of his small hand. His skin was as soft and delicate as silk and his hand was tiny, like a child's. Anzu put his hand down as Ryou extended his hand towards the quaking youth. After Yugi had shaken hands with Ryou and Jounouchi, his shivering seemed to reduce a little. It didn't stop though.  
  
Yami had to smile. "Come on, Yugi-chan. Why are you so afraid? These are just some people who are trying to be your friends. You could at least say something to them," he said softly.  
  
Yugi looked at the four of them with sheer amazement. This was, undoubtedly, the most bizarre thing that had ever happened to him. Yesterday, he had been bullied all day, and that was the only attention he got from his peers. Today, there were four teens wanting to be his friends, one of them extremely hot and sexy. (A/n: I'll say! Can I have Yami served medium or well done please? [animal growling noises])  
  
His already red face deepened to a dark crimson, a shade that none of the others had thought was humanly possible to reach. He looked up and whispered, "You d-don't want a-anything from-m me d-do you?"  
  
Not a one of them was insulted by the question. "Of course not," Jou said. "Well, not unless you count friendship." He smirked at his own joke.  
  
Yugi large, innocent, trusting eyes suddenly filled with tears. He put his head down on the table and began to cry very softly, catching them all off guard. Even Yami hadn't seen this reaction coming.  
  
"What's the matter, Yugi-sama?" Ryou asked. "Did we upset you in some way?"  
  
"I-iie," Yugi mumbled through his tears. "I've j-just never h-had anyone ever be n-nice to me before, or w-want to b-be my f-f-friend."  
  
Yami looked at Yugi sadly. He wanted to kiss Yugi's tears away, and ensure that the little one would never cry again, but since he had just met Yugi that day, he didn't think it would be a good idea. Instead, he rubbed Yugi's shoulder gently with his hand, causing Yugi to look up.  
  
"Don't cry anymore, Yugi-chan," Yami said to him. "You have friends in us now."  
  
"And in Honda Hiroto too, when he comes back to school tomorrow," Jou said.  
  
Yugi looked at them all, then the smallest of small smiles creeped onto his face. As he wiped his tears away, he whispered, "A-arigato minna. You have n-no idea how much th-this means to m-me."  
  
"Well, actually we do, considering you just burst into tears," Yami said lightly. Everyone looked at him for a moment, then all of them, even Yugi, started to crack up. Sensing the mood lighten around the table, Yami said, "Now I don't think that I've been properly introduced. My name's Yami Tomo."  
  
"You're new here, right?" Anzu asked.  
  
"Hai," he answered.  
  
"Where'd you move from?" Ryou asked.  
  
Yami had been prepared for that question. He answered, "I used to live in Tokyo."  
  
"Why give up the flashy lights of Tokyo to come the smaller city of Domino?" Anzu asked incredibly.  
  
"Well, mostly because I didn't want to live in such a big city. I like the city, but I guess that Tokyo was just too much for me. Domino's more my speed."  
  
Yugi looked at the young man sitting next to him. More his speed? Yami was wearing silver and black leather, not to mention his whole self-confidence aura was screaming that Yami would have been very at home in a place like Tokyo. It was about then that Yugi remembered what had happened the day before. It made him wonder about Yami, but being as extremely shy as he was, he didn't have the courage to say anything. He decided that he'd wait until he got to know Yami a little better before he asked him about it.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami: This was a good chapter! I don't care what the readers think, this was good!  
  
Cherry: Thank you Yami! I'm glad you appreciate good writing. Unlike you, however, I do care what the readers think. That's why I always wait for reviews!  
  
Yugi: It's good policy to make sure you're not wasting you time writing something that nobody's reading.  
  
Yami: Hai, I know.  
  
Yugi: Well, as always, remember to review! The sooner you review, the sooner she puts up more chapters, the sooner she finishes the story, and the sooner she lets us out! (is still locked in)  
  
Cherry: We'll see. (insert evil laugh here) 


	6. Game Shop

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Game Shop"  
  
Cherry: Tee hee! It's only been one day and I already got a bunch of new reviews!! I am really happy, that I am!  
  
Yugi: (ignores Cherry) This is good. This is really good! This means we'll be out of here soon Yami!  
  
Yami: Yes, I know. It'll be great to see sunlight again.  
  
Cherry: Hey, don't just ignore me!  
  
Yugi: (continues to ignore Cherry) Let's get started with the chapter. More new reviews, more new chapters, quicker freedom!  
  
Cherry: Stop ignoring me!!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
After school, Yugi's new friends asked if they could come over to his house. Yugi managed to stutter out an okay, still being rather frightened at the prospect of having friends now. Anzu, Ryou, Jounouchi, and Yami noted that Yugi stuttered every time he spoke to anyone.  
  
Jou asked him about it. "Hey, Yugi-sama? How come you stutter so much when you talk?"  
  
Yugi blushed. "I-I have trouble sp-speaking t-to anyone b-besides my gran- grandpa. I-I can't h-help it."  
  
Yami smiled to himself. He thought that Yugi's stutter was adorable. It reminded him of a young child who was just getting used to speaking.  
  
Anzu smiled at Yugi kindly. "Don't feel so uncomfortable around us, Yugi- sama. Wait. No. That's not what we should be calling you. How about Yugi- chan, just like Yami-chan has been calling you?"  
  
Yugi started to tremble a bit again, but he smiled at Anzu and nodded. "I- I'd like that."  
  
Jounouchi let out a triumphant yell. "Alright!! That's sounds much better than Yugi-sama!!"  
  
"Onee-chan!" came a somewhat cheerful voice from behind them. All of them turn around to see Shizuka running towards them.  
  
"Shizuka-kun!" Jou said happily.  
  
"No detention today, huh?" the redhead teased once she'd caught up. Then her eyes landed on Yugi and Yami. She blinked in surprise. "You're Yami Tomo, right? The new student from this morning?"  
  
"Hai, that I am," Yami replied.  
  
She turned to Yugi and frowned in concentration, trying to remember his name. "And you're . . . um . . ."  
  
"Yugi M-Moto," he answered.  
  
"That's right. You're in my class too." She smiled. "The quiet kid. I've never heard you talk before."  
  
"I-I usually d-don't," Yugi mumbled.  
  
Shizuka smiled at him, and then turned to her brother. "Where are you going, Onee-chan?"  
  
"Over to Yugi-chan's house," he answered.  
  
"Oh?" Shizuka said. She closed her eyes thoughtfully. "Isn't that the Kame Game Shop?"  
  
Yugi blinked. How'd she know that? He didn't even think she knew that he existed. Instead of speaking, he nodded.  
  
"Your family owns a game shop?" Ryou asked in surprise.  
  
"J-just me and m-my g-grandpa," Yugi said quietly.  
  
Ryou was confused. "Well, what about your parents? What do they do?" he asked.  
  
Yugi looked down sadly. "M-my parents d-died a while ago in a c-car a- accident," he whispered, fighting back his tears.  
  
Ryou looked very apologetic and was apparently at a loss for words. "Oh, I'm, uh . . . gomen ne . . . uh . . ."  
  
Yugi turned a sad smile in Ryou's direction. "I-it's okay, R-Ryou-sama," he said. "Y-you d-didn't know."  
  
Yami, seeing the depression build, said something to lighten the mood a little. "You know, I think that's the first time you've said any of our names?" he piped up jokingly.  
  
Yugi blinked in his direction now. Jou smirked and said, "You know what, Yami-chan? I think you're right." He smirked down at Yugi now, noting the confused look on the little one's face. "Hey, come on, Yugi-chan. Lighten up a little."  
  
Shizuka shook her head. "Onee-chan, I'm heading home. I'll tell our parents where you went, okay?"  
  
"Arigato," Jou said to his little sister as she ran off, readjusting her glasses on her nose. He turned back to the others. "Come on, let's go now."  
  
~*~*~  
  
They were all a bit surprised when they reached the Kame Game Shop. They had expected . . . they weren't even sure, but they felt that there should have been more to the place, not a run-down looking shop with little stock.  
  
"We d-don't have v-very g-good-d business," Yugi explained, seeing the confused looks on their faces.  
  
They walked into the shop and saw Yugi's grandfather, Sugoroku Moto, behind the counter half-asleep. He woke up, though, when Joey asked what type of games they had there.  
  
"W-we have Duel Monsters, D-Dungeon Dice Monsters, M-Magic the Gathering, and-d others," Yugi told them.  
  
Anzu looked surprised. "With just those games alone, your business should be a lot better," she said.  
  
"I-I know, b-but th-there's nothing w-we c-can do about it," Yugi sighed.  
  
"Well, what kind of Duel Monsters cards do you have here?" Jounouchi asked. "I've always loved Duel Monsters. It's my favorite game."  
  
"M-mine too," Yugi said. He turned towards his grandfather, and suddenly, his stutter disappeared. "Hey Jii-chan, would you pull out the Duel Monster packs please? Jounouchi-chan wants to see some of them."  
  
"Certainly, Yugi-chan," Sugoroku said, ducking behind counter and pulling out the individual packs.  
  
Yami came over and looked over Jou's shoulder as he bought a pack and opened it up.  
  
"Awesome! I got a Graceful Dice card! I've been looking for this one forever!" he said happily.  
  
Yami pointed to another card in Jou's hand. "Take a look at this trap card. Isn't that Demon Dice?"  
  
Jounouchi looked and his face lit up. "It is! What a combo!!"  
  
Yugi smiled. "E-even my D-Dark Magician w-would have to l-look out for th- that combination," he said softly, his stutter returning.  
  
"Hey, Yugi-chan?" Ryou said. "How come you didn't stutter when you were speaking to your grandfather, but now you're stuttering again?"  
  
"Don't you remember what he said, Ryou-kun?" Anzu piped up before Yugi could answer. "He isn't used to talking to anyone besides his grandpa."  
  
"Oh, right. I'd forgotten."  
  
"Yugi-chan? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Sugoroku broke in.  
  
"Oh! Gomen. Jii-chan, this is Jounouchi, Anzu, Ryou, and Yami. E-Everyone, th-this is my Jii-chan."  
  
"It's an honor to meet you," Anzu said, bowing politely. Ryou imitated her bow. Jou and Yami, however, were too busy looking at the cards Jounouchi had bought to answer, or even notice that an introduction had been given.  
  
Yugi smiled at the pair of them. He liked Jounouchi a little bit more than Anzu and Ryou, and he liked Yami a hell of a lot more than Jounouchi, which was understandable since Yugi was attracted to Yami. He was starting to feel more comfortable with them all.  
  
"W-would y-you like to c-come inside?" he asked, still not able to stop stuttering.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Anzu said, pulling Ryou by the arm behind her. Yami and Jounouchi didn't hear. After asking his Jii-chan to tell them where everyone had gone when they were done going nuts over the cards, he followed.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi: This is nice. It's a good story. It's almost worth being locked in.  
  
Cherry: (is still being ignored) HEY! STOP IGNORING ME!!!  
  
Yami: I hope that you get over your little stuttering problem soon.  
  
Yugi: Yeah, so do I.  
  
Cherry: (whines) You guys!!!  
  
Yami: Well, remember to review. We'll see you later.  
  
Cherry: (starts to cry) 


	7. Seeds

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Seedsl"  
  
Yugi: Is there anything we need to say before this chapter?  
  
Cherry: I don't think so. Oh, just one thing. I've decided that until I get the honorifics right, I'm going to go ahead and leave them out of the story.  
  
Yami: Okay, then, let's just start.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi asked Anzu and Ryou to wait in the living room while he himself stood just on the other side of the door, waiting for Yami and Jounouchi to realize they were alone in the shop besides Sugoroku. He didn't have long to wait; a sharp word from Yami notified him that they had noticed. He was unprepared, however, when the door swung open sharply in front of him, smashing him in the face.  
  
Yami, who had been the one to open the door, looked absolutely mortified and shocked when he realized what, or rather who, it was that he'd hit with the door. Yugi stumbled backwards and landed harshly on his hind end on the floor. Jounouchi saw Yugi sitting there, covering his nose with both hands, and he turned a questioning eye to Yami.  
  
"I didn't know he was there," Yami said, clearly distraught by the fact that he'd hit Yugi so hard. The last thing he wanted to do was to give his little beloved any sort of injury.  
  
"Yugi, are you alright?" Jou asked as he bent down to help Yugi stand back up.  
  
"M-my nose . . ." Yugi mumbled, his words hardly discernable because of the hand partially covering his mouth.  
  
Yami came over and tried to move Yugi's hand, but it wasn't budging. He frowned slightly. "Let me see, Yugi," he softly commanded.  
  
Yugi immediately felt nervous; he felt a slight trickle of blood on his hand from his nose, and he didn't want to upset Yami because of it. When Yami's frown deepened and the tug on his hands became a little more forceful, Yugi gave up resisting and complied.  
  
Guilt hit Yami like a ton of bricks when he saw the blood. Instructing Yugi to tilt his head back, he told Jounouchi to tell Anzu and Ryou that they would only be a minute and he had Yugi guide him to the bathroom.  
  
Once they were in the bathroom, Yami sat Yugi on the toilet and proceeded to get some paper towels. He brought them over to Yugi and told him to use those until the bleeding stopped. Yami was quite familiar with nosebleeds and how to deal with them; he often got into fistfights with Bakura as a child and almost every time got punched in the nose.  
  
"Gomen ne, Yugi," Yami whispered. "Gomen."  
  
"It-t was a-an accident," Yugi replied just as softly. "D-don't be upset-t Yami."  
  
Yami smiled and then gently pulled the paper towel away from Yugi's nose. It had stopped bleeding, so they could now leave the bathroom. In the living room, Anzu, Jou, and Ryou all looked tense.  
  
"Are you okay, Yugi?" were the first words that spilled from Anzu's lips.  
  
"He's okay, Anzu," Yami answered, seeing that Yugi was taken aback by the interest in his well-being.  
  
Yugi sniffled a little while his friends all sat down on the couch. There wasn't enough room for him to sit, too, and they all noticed when Yugi started for the adjacent chair. Yami, however, was having none of that. Before Yugi could react, Yami had scooped him up and sat him on his lap, an action that even took him by surprise.  
  
When Yugi looked askance of Yami, he shrugged and said, "I don't mind."  
  
Yugi, who was trembling again, picked up the television remote and turned it to his favorite channel, one that caused Jounouchi to raise an eyebrow.  
  
"Cartoon Network?" Jou asked.  
  
"Y-yes. It's m-my favorite ch-channel," Yugi muttered. "Why? D-do you w- want t-t-to watch something e-else?"  
  
Jou shook his head. "Naw. I was just surprised that you'd watch cartoons. I mean, you are in high school."  
  
This earned Jou an arctic look from Anzu and Yami. Ryou raised an eyebrow at Jounouchi. "I still watch cartoons, Jou. Does that make me and Yugi immature or something?"  
  
Jou turned the barest shade of pink and said, "Of course not. It just surprised me, that's all."  
  
Anzu shook her head. "You should really think before you speak," she teased.  
  
A show started and Yugi suddenly smiled brightly. Dexter's Laboratory was one of his favorite shows. Ryou grinned at him. "You like this show? I certainly do!"  
  
Yugi nodded. Yami smiled at the back of his head. He could sense that Yugi was starting to feel more comfortable with his friends, so he sat back and pulled Yugi back so they could both sit more comfortably. The next thing that occurred surprised them all; the second Yugi's back touched Yami's chest, he gave a pained cry and jumped off of Yami's lap.  
  
All of them blinked at the petite teen while he just stood there gasping for air, his small hands covering his now-racing heart. Yugi turned and looked at Yami with something reminiscent of fear in his eyes.  
  
"What's the matter, Yugi?" Yami asked, standing up and reaching a hand out to touch Yugi's shoulder.  
  
Yugi shied away from Yami's outstretched hand, now trembling more than they had seen so far.  
  
"G-g-gomen-n," Yugi whispered, stuttering worse than ever. "I-I n-need t-to go to m-m-my r-room f-for-r a m-minute." He turned and bolted up the stairs, leaving all of them, especially Yami, in a state of total bewilderment.  
  
Why on earth had Yugi shied away from him like that? What could have caused the young boy such fear that he ran like that from Yami . . . unless he had felt . . .?  
  
Oh no!! If Yugi had felt the dark power inside of Yami, that made things a lot more difficult. He already knew that Yugi had within him the Seed of Light, the exact item that the Shadow Realm needed, and to be able to remove it from him . . . Yami ended that thought. He did not want to think about what he was going to cause. However, if the seed had manifested some of its power into Yugi's being, then Yugi would be able to sense the difference in Yami's aura, which of course would be an extreme one because Yami was from the Shadow Realm rather than the Light Realm, and that meant Yugi would be afraid of him now! And that was not something Yami wanted!!  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yugi leaned against his door after he shut it behind himself. What was that? What was that wave of darkness that he had felt from Yami? It had been so intense that it had hurt! He had felt darkness off of people before, but never like that!! And to think it was coming from Yami . . .  
  
Now that he thought about it, though, it made some semblance of sense. The name "Yami" did after all mean "dark." Yugi shivered nonetheless. That darkness hadn't just been in Yami's aura; it had been a sort of power that radiated from him that he hadn't sensed until he had been in close contact with him. He wondered why that was, because he could always sense things like that just by glancing at people. He had always been able to, ever since he had been a child.  
  
From the time Yugi had been born, he was able to feel these things. That was why he would always scream and cry whenever someone with a dark presence held him (or so he assumed. His grandfather told him this, so Yugi had just made a guess as to why he screamed.) As he got older, the ability became stronger, and nowadays Yugi found himself able to tell what sort of a person someone was just from a glance. When he had glanced at Yami at school that morning, he had seen a good person, one with a bit of mystery around them, but a good person. Now, he was wondering if that was right. Darkness so strong that it hurt . . . that had never happened before! Now he was afraid. There was only one thing he could think to do.  
  
"Powers of day, powers of night, reveal the spirit and shine your light!" Yugi chanted quietly.  
  
An orb of light floated from Yugi's chest and hovered in front of him for a moment before taking on the form of a human not too much older than Yugi. She had green eyes, pale skin, and silvery hair. She wore a long, pure white, flowing gown, and she looked at Yugi with concern.  
  
"What is the matter, Light Bearer?" she asked in a musical voice.  
  
"Downstairs. Just now. Boy my age. Darkness." Yugi's trembling worsened as he looked at her, and he sat down hard on the floor.  
  
She glowing woman smiled at him. "Why don't you try telling me from the beginning?" she suggested.  
  
Yugi took a deep breath and said, "Hikari, downstairs just now, I was with my new friends, sitting on one boy's lap. He pulled me backwards, I guess so that we could sit more comfortably, but the second I touched him, I felt such an intense wave of darkness that it actually hurt me! The thing that scares me the most about it is that I didn't feel it until I touched him."  
  
Hikari bent down next to Yugi. She was the spirit of the Seed of Light, which Yugi knew was embedded within his body. Ever since she had made her presence known to Yugi, he had started running to her whenever he sensed a great darkness.  
  
"Allow me to see into your mind. I will look for myself to see this person," she whispered.  
  
Yugi did and relaxed his mind. She peered through the memory and saw Yami's face. The moment she did, she gave a startled cry that caused Yugi to look up at her. Hikari had never expected to see on of the denizens of the Shadow Realm here! At least not yet! And what made it worse was that she could see further than Yugi could as far as reading auras went, so she saw what she was certain even Yami was unaware of; Yami held the Seed of Darkness within his body, just as Yugi held the Seed of Light. This meant that . . . she smiled to herself.  
  
So, it was finally time.  
  
"Hikari, what is it?" Yugi asked.  
  
She smiled down at him. "You needn't be afraid of that youth, Light Bearer. He may have a dark power, but there is no need to be afraid of that power. In fact, one day soon, your life will depend on his power. I would suggest you try to get a bit closer to him. He is tied to the fate I am always telling you about." With that said, she reverted to being an orb of light and returned to the seed within Yugi.  
  
Yugi was completely lost. This was the very first time ever that Hikari had told him to get closer to someone with an aura like that. Normally she told him to steer clear. Yugi suddenly giggled lightly. Even if she had said to stay away from Yami, Yugi wasn't 100% sure he'd be able to. He was attracted to Yami like no other.  
  
Steeling himself, Yugi opened the door and started back downstairs, only to find Yami coming up.  
  
"Yugi, are you okay?" he asked with sincere concern. "Did I hurt you of something?"  
  
"I-iie," Yugi assured him. "Y-you didn't. S-something just s-stung me, th- that's all." Yugi wasn't even lying. That had stung.  
  
Yami raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Hai, I-I am!" Yugi smiled. "L-let's go b-back downstairs. I-I probably scared e-everyone b-by taking off l-like that."  
  
He politely scooted around Yami and headed downstairs while Yami just stood there. He heard the voices of their friends float up the stairwell, asking Yugi what was the matter, and Yugi's mumbled reply.  
  
Yami remained thoroughly unconvinced of what Yugi had said. He was certain that he was just glossing over something. There was, however, nothing he could do about it, at least for the time being. He turned and joined his friends (this time allowing Yugi to sit on the couch while he sat in the chair) in watching the remainder of Dexter's Laboratory.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: I'm bad! I'm so bad! Now I've added a whole new twist to the plot!  
  
Yugi: . . .  
  
Yami: . . .  
  
Cherry: What?  
  
Yugi and Yami: Nothing.  
  
Cherry: Whatever. Listen people! Remember to review! Please review! 


	8. Lovely Lady

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Six  
  
"Lovely Lady"  
  
Cherry: Yippee wippee wippee!! I got so many new reviews!! I think that this is my best story!!  
  
Yami: Yippee wippee?  
  
Yugi: I wouldn't ask.  
  
Cherry: I suppose that I'm a bit hyper, that I am!  
  
Yami: (binds and gags Cherry)  
  
Cherry: MRPH!!!  
  
Yugi: Okay, while I'll be glad for some peace and quiet, is that really necessary?  
  
Yami: Just until the end of the chapter. I'm going to do this to her every time she starts to talk like Kenshin.  
  
Yugi: (sighs) Whatever.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi flopped onto his bed that night after his new friends left. He was thinking about what Hikari had said to him earlier.  
  
~He may have a dark power, but there is no need to be afraid of that power. In fact, one day soon, your life will depend on his power.~  
  
What did she mean by that? And what was she hiding from him . . . again?  
  
Hikari always hid things from Yugi. He really hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it, not even now when it concerned Yami, his new crush.  
  
Or . . . was he in love already? Yugi couldn't tell. He just knew that he wanted to spend more time with Yami, to get to know him better. And he wanted to spend time with his new friends too.  
  
It turned out that Yugi happened to have a lot in common with Jounouchi. Both of them were big fans of Duel Monsters, both of them loved to make friends, and both of them would do anything for the people they cared about. Yugi had really bonded with the tall blonde quickly.  
  
He liked Anzu as well. She was really sweet and caring, and she said something about Yugi being datable. He hadn't a clue was she was talking about, but judging by the cool look Ryou gave her after that comment, it was something good.  
  
Ryou turned out to be a sweetheart just like Yugi was, and he was also somewhat shy. (Anzu said that she liked that in a guy, then gave Yugi a look that caused Ryou to glare at her.) Even though Anzu was saying all these things to Yugi, the white-haired teen had hit it right off with Yugi.  
  
Strangely enough, it seemed that Yami was the one he had the least in common with, but he was the one Yugi was the most drawn to. Yami had an air of self-esteem around him that would have made even the toughest of bullies steer clear. He was very strong, and not afraid to speak for himself as well.  
  
And there was also the little matter of that dark power Yugi had felt . . .  
  
Yugi shivered. He wanted to talk to Hikari again, but when he had tried earlier, she had refused to emerge. Frustrated to no end, Yugi had skipped dinner and gone straight to bed. He hated it when she kept secrets.  
  
Rolling over on his bed, Yugi started to let himself drift to sleep, still wondering about Yami.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"So you did actually talk to the guy?" Honda asked Jou when they were talking on the phone later.  
  
"Yep, we sure did," Jou responded. "And it turns out that he and I have a lot in common. It's kinda weird, but kinda cool too! I bet that I could be great friends with Yugi!"  
  
"That great! I can't wait until tomorrow. I'll be back at school and be able to meet him myself."  
  
"Sorry you couldn't be there today man," Jou said honestly. "I wish you could have seen Yugi interact with that new guy Yami."  
  
"Tell me about him again," Honda asked.  
  
"I told you, I don't know enough about him to tell you. All I know is that he's pretty much Yugi's opposite."  
  
"His opposite? Then, does that mean he and Yugi didn't get along?"  
  
"That's what you'd expect, isn't it? But actually, Yugi was getting along with Yami better than everyone else." Jou paused a moment before continuing, "I gotta admit, too, I'm wondering whether either of them is straight."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Honda asked.  
  
"You should have seen the way Yami kept looking at Yugi. It's the same sort of look you're always giving Shizuka."  
  
"No way."  
  
"No lie. And the whole time he was near Yami, Yugi was a really bright shade of red."  
  
"How bright?"  
  
"I'm talking Technicolor. And he was also sneaking side glances at Yami when we were all in our science class."  
  
"It sounds like neither one of them is straight then," Honda stated plainly.  
  
"Ah well. It's not like it's any of our business. It just thought it was a little weird," Jounouchi said.  
  
"How'd Anzu and Ryou take to Yugi?" Honda asked. He was surprised when Jou started to laugh. "What is it? What's so funny?"  
  
When his hysterics stopped, Jou explained, "I definitely know that Anzu likes Yugi a lot. She was flirting with him a bit, and right in front of Ryou!"  
  
"You've got to be kidding! How'd he handle that?"  
  
"Actually, all he did was give her some cold looks. He got along with Yugi really great too. I kinda figured he would."  
  
Honda sighed and shook his head. "How he puts up with her for two days together is beyond me. Anzu is a big flirt."  
  
"Yeah, but that's all she does," Jounouchi said, defending Anzu.  
  
"Hai, I guess you're right," Honda admitted. Then he yawned. "I think I better hit the sack if I want to make a full recovery. I'll see you in school tomorrow Jou!"  
  
"Alright. Ja ne!" Jou hung up the phone and headed upstairs to his bedroom, thinking vaguely of going to sleep, but a yell from Shizuka forced him to turn around and come back downstairs.  
  
"Big brother!!! There's someone here looking for you!"  
  
Jounouchi came down the stairs into the front door, but froze in his tracks when he caught sight of . . .  
  
The most gorgeous woman in existence . . .  
  
She was fairly tall, but part of that height was due to the fact that she was wearing high-heeled purple boots. She had on a purple miniskirt, a white tie-up tube top, a sleeveless purple jacket over it, and had on white sleeves what covered part of her hands. She had purple eyes, blonde hair, and a face that could stop traffic, and a body that could easily force a cease-fire in the middle of a war.  
  
She smiled at him when she saw his eyes move down to her legs. She called his attention to her face by saying, "Hey, got a problem?"  
  
Jounouchi shook his head when he realized that he'd been ogling and said, "Sorry. I need to learn to watch my manners."  
  
"That's not all you're watching, from what I can see," she teased; Jou's eyes were traveling south again.  
  
Jou shook his head again and asked, "Eh, you were looking for me, right?"  
  
"Well, I was looking for you because I saw you earlier with someone I know and I figured that you might know where I can find him," she explained.  
  
"Oh. But wait. How'd you know I live here?"  
  
"I saw you not too long ago headed in here, so I figured that I'd come and ask you," she said simply.  
  
Jounouchi nodded. It made sense. "So, ho is it that you're looking for?" he asked, somewhat disappointed that she wasn't looking for him.  
  
"I'm looking for a guy named Yami," she told him. "Do you know where I can find him?"  
  
Jou thought for a minute. He had told everyone his address in case they wanted to drop by, but it took Jounouchi a minute to remember it.  
  
"Oh, I remember! It's 45 Sullivan Road. Just head down this street for a couple of blocks until you hit Sullivan, turn right, and then it's a couple more blocks to 45."  
  
She smiled. "Thanks Hun. I appreciate the help."  
  
She turned to leave, but the turned back around. "What's your name?"  
  
Caught off guard, it took him a few minutes to remember. "It's Jounouchi, but my friends call me Jou."  
  
"My name's Mai. It was nice meeting you. Maybe we could talk again sometime." With that, she turned and walked down the street.  
  
It was a good fifteen minutes before Jounouchi's mind registered that he was still standing at the door. He walked inside, forgetting to close the door behind him, went up to his room, and dropped unceremoniously onto his bed.  
  
That woman . . . Mai . . . she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on, and even though they had only talked for a minute, Jou could tell that she was a strong person, one that wasn't easy to scare. He hoped he'd see her again soon.  
  
Wait a moment. Didn't she say that she knew Yami? Then Jou could ask him about her at school the next day!  
  
Great!!!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: MRPH!!!  
  
Yugi: (unties Cherry)  
  
Cherry: Thank you. (smacks Yami on the back of the head) Don't do that ever again!)  
  
Yami: Don't talk like Kenshin again!  
  
Cherry: I'll do what I want!  
  
Yugi: (ignoring the pending argument) Remember to review this story! And please, while you're at it, could I borrow a pair of earplugs from someone? 


	9. Timid

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"Timid"  
  
Cherry: (is still arguing with Yami)  
  
Yami: (is still arguing with Cherry)  
  
Yugi: (is wearing earplugs) Let's just ignore them and get on with the story, huh?  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yugi dragged himself out of bed the next morning, glad that he didn't have school. Even though it was Friday, there was a parent-teacher conference and school was closed; they had gotten a letter in the mail the day before about it. As he came downstairs for breakfast, a familiar rich and smooth voice caused him to freeze in his tracks on the stairs. Looking down, he could see Yami standing with a very pretty blonde woman.  
  
"You really don't mind us waiting in here for Yugi to wake up?" Yami asked Sugoroku.  
  
"Not at all," he answered. "You and your friend just wait here. Yugi should be up soon anyway. He always gets up early." Sugoroku looked at his watch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to open the shop." With that, he turned to head to the game shop.  
  
Yami turned to Mai and smiled. "You're really going to like Yugi. He's really sweet, even if he's really shy."  
  
"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Mai answered. Her eyes happened to flicker to the staircase. Her grin widened. "Well, right on cue."  
  
Yami saw Yugi too and smiled warmly. The young boy was standing there in his pajamas looking paralyzed. "Good morning Yugi!" he said brightly.  
  
Yugi squeaked and ran back upstairs to his room. Yami had been expecting him to do that, but Mai blinked.  
  
"What was that all about?" she asked.  
  
"Like I said, he's shy," he explained. "He probably just ran to get dressed properly."  
  
~ THUMP! ~  
  
They both looked at the ceiling. It sounded like Yugi had either tripped or dropped something.  
  
"You okay up there, Yugi?" Yami called.  
  
"F-fine, th-thank you!" came the small teen's answer.  
  
"Was he stuttering?" Mai asked.  
  
"He always does when he talks to anyone other than Sugoroku," Yami explained.  
  
At that moment, Yugi came downstairs, wearing a purple t-shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of blue jeans, and judging from the way he was rubbing his arm, he had landed on it when he tripped.  
  
Yami smiled at him, causing Yugi to blush. Mai noticed this too and also smiled. When Yugi finally found his voice, he said, "W-what are you d-doing here Y-Yami?"  
  
Yami started to snicker. "Well, since there's no school today, I thought that you, me, Mai, and our friends could go hang out." Suddenly he slapped his forehead. "Ugh! Here's me just talking when my friend hasn't even been introduced. This is my best friend, Mai Kujaku. We've known each other since we were little."  
  
"I missed Yami after he moved and had to come visit him," Mai continued. "My school is out for a vacation, so I'm here for a while."  
  
Yugi smiled shyly at her. Mai was very pretty, and Yugi was always shy around pretty girls. (Well, he was shy around people in general really.)  
  
At that second, Jounouchi and Honda strode in. Yugi blinked. He didn't know Honda. First Yami had brought someone new, and now Jou? This was getting to be too much!  
  
"Konnichiwa!" Jou said. Then he blinked. "Mai!"  
  
"Hey there Hun," Mai said. Jou stared for a while, stunned. Yami, seeing that neither Jou nor Mai was going to say anything without prompting, cleared his throat loudly.  
  
"Jounouchi, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" Yami asked.  
  
Jou came out of his trance and shook his head. "Gomen ne. Minna, this is my buddy Honda."  
  
"It's nice to meet all of you," Honda said, giving Mai a second look. He then turned his attention to the silent Yugi, who had unconsciously moved behind Yami in an effort to hide. "What are you hiding from, Yugi?" he asked.  
  
Yugi blinked when he realized where he was standing, and then blushed when he noticed what a perfect view of Yami's ass this gave him. (A/n: Move over Yugi!! I want to see too!!!) Reddening beyond belief, Yugi quickly moved. It was about then that Yami realized where Yugi had been, and a slight pinkish hue barely tinged his cheeks.  
  
Sadly for him, Mai noticed, but she decided against saying anything until later on. Then she could tease him about it all she wanted.  
  
"Good morning everyone!" came Anzu's voice from the hallway. She and Ryou strode into the living room with the rest of them. Yugi was fairly relieved that they hadn't brought anyone else with them; he didn't know how much more he could take. After Mai was reintroduced to the two of them, Anzu said, "What are we going to do on this lovely school-free Friday?"  
  
"I say we just cruise the city and have the sort of fun that only teens can have!" Jou suggested enthusiastically. Everyone happily agreed. Well, almost everyone.  
  
A tiny, almost not heard sound from Yugi called Yami's attention to the petite, amethyst-eyed chibi tenshi. "What's the matter, Yugi?" he asked.  
  
Yugi shook his head and didn't answer. This caused the others to start questioning him, but he just shook his head, not speaking at all.  
  
It took Yami a bit to figure out what was the matter. "You have gone out on the town to have fun before, haven't you?" he asked gently.  
  
Yugi gulped and shook his head again, his face returning to the color it had been a few minutes ago. (A/n: He does that a lot, doesn't he? Poor Yugi.)  
  
"Why not just say that then?" Ryou asked. Yugi stared determinedly at his feet.  
  
"He's embarrassed about it, that's why," Yami said, making it sound like he was interpreting. "He doesn't want to look like a child in front of us. Am I right Yugi?"  
  
Yugi, refusing to look up, nodded. "G-g-gomen."  
  
Yami knelt so that his face was level with Yugi's and gently lifted up the shy boy's face by placing his hand under his chin. Yami then leaned close to Yugi, so close that their foreheads touched. Yugi blushed all the more as Yami looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Yugi, don't be afraid to tell us something, okay? You don't have to be so timid. We're your friends now, and we won't laugh at anything you say." Yami pulled back and stood back up. "So do you want to go have fun, or would you rather stay here?" he asked gently.  
  
Yugi replied very softly, "I w-want to go h-have f-fun with you g-guys."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Anzu said happily, taking hold of Yugi's arm and smiling at him in a way that made Ryou's eyes turn cold. "Let's go have some fun!"  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: (voice is hoarse from yelling at Yami) Okay, I think that we're done arguing.  
  
Yami: (voice is also hoarse) Fine. Just please, no more talking like Kenshin!  
  
Yugi: (removes his earplugs) Yami, this is her story. Let her talk how she wants. If you don't she's likely to keep us here after the story is done.  
  
Cherry: Exactly right.  
  
Yami: (rolls eyes) Fine. Whatever.  
  
Yugi: Now please remember to review! See you around. 


	10. First Kiss

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
"First Kiss"  
  
Cherry: (looks at the number of reviews) I can't believe I've got 84 reviews!! This feels so incredible! I've never had a story that was this well liked!  
  
Yami: Well, maybe you should hurry and provide the readers with their next chapter.  
  
Yugi: (thinking) And quickly so that we'll be let out of here!  
  
Cherry: You're right as always, Yami dear!! All right!! Here we go!!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
It took about two hours for Yugi's face to stop being red once they left, the main reason for that being a mix of Yami's presence and Anzu's insistent flirting. Yugi was not used to the attention he was receiving from her, and the only reason his face had stopped being red was because Anzu had stopped her flirting (after a particularly cold gaze and a few choice words from Ryou).  
  
There was, however, still the fact that he was not used to doing any of the things his friends wanted to do. The arcade, the mall, and other such things were all practically foreign to the poor boy. The only thing he'd ever done before that they'd suggested was the movie theater, and that had only been with his parents before they died. Still, if his friends wanted to . . .  
  
Yami, meanwhile, was wondering about Yugi being more relaxed with him than anyone else. He had noticed that whenever he started to feel shy or nervous around a specific someone (mostly Anzu), that he would start to move towards Yami, and if he was already near Yami, he would try to hide himself behind him. This was fairly startling, especially considering Yugi's behavior the day before. Maybe Yami didn't know as much about the boy as he thought . . .  
  
"Yami? D-did you hear m-me?" Yugi asked tentatively.  
  
Yami snapped out o his daze and smiled apologetically at Yugi. "Gomen, Yugi. What did you say?"  
  
"I w-was asking if y-you were hungry," Yugi repeated.  
  
"Hai, I sure am!" Yami answered.  
  
"Well, come on then, Yami!" Mai said. "Let's get some lunch!" They hurried to catch up with the others, who had gone ahead of them. After a minute, something registered in Yami's mind.  
  
Yugi was stuttering less and less as the day progressed. And he stuttered even less when he was talking to him! That meant he was feeling more and more comfortable with them, especially himself! Yami didn't think he'd ever been this excited. He was one step closer to spending the rest of his life with Yugi!  
  
Hold on a minute! He was one step closer to getting Yugi to come with him to the Shadow Realm! He had to stay focused!  
  
However, his eyes locked with Yugi's at that second, and Yami felt his heart melt. Yugi blushed and looked away almost right away, but the moment of eye contact was enough to tell Yami how strongly he felt for the boy. He had thought it was just a crush. A strong crush, he was willing to admit, but he didn't think he was already in love!  
  
"Will you order already Yami?" Jounouchi snapped suddenly, making Yami jump. Feeling faintly embarrassed, Yami ordered his lunch. (A/n: I should probably mention that they're at McDonald's. That's my favorite besides White Castle! Who's with me? White Castle rules!) When they sat down to eat, Yami spoke to Yugi.  
  
"Yugi, are you having fun?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I am, h-hai," he said very quietly.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that. You should get out more Yugi," Yami declared, smiling at him.  
  
Yugi blushed and didn't reply.  
  
"Hey! Hi you guys!" came a familiar voice. They all looked up and saw Shizuka coming their direction. All of them smiled except for Yugi, who looked away and blushed. He really felt uncomfortable around people; especially those he'd ever had a crush on.  
  
"Hey there sis!" Jou said happily, standing to hug his sister.  
  
"Hey, you're the lady from yesterday, aren't you?" Shizuka asked, spotting Mai.  
  
"Yes I am," she replied. "I must make a impression on people."  
  
"Yep, one that say you're a bit full of yourself," Yami teased, earning him a cuff on the shoulder and a laugh form everyone else (except Yugi, who didn't like laughing at people).  
  
Shizuka joined them for lunch, and after that, it seemed that everyone had a different idea of where they wanted to go next.  
  
With one exception of course.  
  
Yami noticed this and got an idea. "Hey, how about we all just go off and do our own thing for a while. We can meet up at Domino Station and about three."  
  
"That's a great idea," Ryou said. "Hey Anzu, that means we can got see that movie after all."  
  
"Hurray!" Anzu cheered. They had bypassed a movie that she'd wanted to see because it was a horror movie and Yugi (who'd become uncharacteristically bold) insisted that those types of movies gave him nightmares and that he would not go in if that was what they were seeing.  
  
"Well, I kinda wanted to hit the arcade again," Jou said.  
  
"Me too," Mai agreed, catching Yami's eye and winking. This amused Yami; Mai didn't give a damn, she just wanted to hang out with Jounouchi.  
  
"Well, honestly, neither sounds interesting to me," Shizuka said. "I just want to go to cruise for a while, maybe do some window shopping." She looked pleadingly at Honda, who became putty in her hands and agreed to go with her.  
  
"What about you Yugi?" Yami asked. Yugi didn't answer. "Come on, what? You haven't had a say in anything we've done all day except the movie. What do you want to do?"  
  
"Well, I w-wanted to go to the museum," Yugi admitted. "They've g-got this Egyptian exhibit that I w-wanted to see."  
  
"Really?" Yami asked, his eyes lighting up. "We can go together! I love that sort of thing!" Yami wasn't lying either. Even before he found Yugi, he'd learned some thing about ancient Egypt and had always found it fascinating.  
  
Yugi smiled at Yami, and they all said their goodbyes and went their separate directions.  
  
~*~*~  
  
At the museum, Yami found himself having trouble keeping up with Yugi, who had become as exuberant as a child and was running from display to display, excitement clearly evident on his face. Yami couldn't believe the change in Yugi this exhibit brought out. The boy was acting the way Yami knew he really was; bright, happy, joyous, and innocent.  
  
Yugi was thoroughly enjoying himself. He found Ancient Egypt fascinating. His fascination bordered obsessive, in fact. One look at his bedroom would tell anyone that; his walls were covered in posters and suchlike that depicted Egyptian hieroglyphics and similar things.  
  
Yami was about to say something to Yugi about calming down when a particular exhibit caught both their eyes. On display were six golden items, all of which had the same symbol carved into them, an eye. Yami read the description.  
  
"'These are known as the Millennium Items. There are in actuality seven, but one of these items has been missing for almost one hundred years. In ancient times, it was believed that these items held a great mystical power and when combined, even had the strength to conquer Ra himself. It is said that the most powerful of the seven items, the missing Millennium Puzzle, was used by the greatest pharaoh of all time in Ancient Egypt's greatest hour of need.' Wow. That's some sort of rare display," Yami commented. Yugi nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yami, what time is it?" he asked.  
  
Yami checked his watch. "About two-thirty. We should get to the station before . . ." Yami trailed off and looked at Yugi. "You didn't stutter!"  
  
Yugi realized this and blushed. "I didn't, did I?" He smiled. "I guess it's just because I feel so comfortable around you Yami. I feel like I've known you for years, even though we just met yesterday."  
  
"You know what? I get the same feeling about you," Yami replied. "Anyway, we better get going if we don't want to make our friends wait."  
  
They left the museum, but neither one of them was very willing to hurry so that they wouldn't be late, so they walked slowly, taking a shortcut through the park.  
  
Yugi looked around, finding the trees to be beautiful. He didn't know why, but he felt like if time could stop right at that moment, with him and Yami together in that beautiful place, that it might be the best thing ever to happen to him.  
  
Yami was having similar thoughts. This scenario was perfect. He and Yugi were alone in the middle of a lovely park, surrounded by the beauty of nature, though in his opinion, nature's beauty paled in comparison to his chibi tenshi.  
  
They both stopped walking and looked at each other. A comfortable silence grew between them as they stared into each other's eyes. Then, without either of them thinking about it, they leaned together and tenderly kissed.  
  
Yami couldn't believe how soft Yugi's lips were. He knew that the boy had to have soft skin, but his lips made even the softest silk seem coarse and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Yugi found himself enjoying the incredible strength he felt from Yami's kiss. He was obviously the sort who preferred to be in control, and that was fine with Yugi, since he felt uncomfortable being dominant.  
  
They came very close to drowning in the feel of each other when Yugi suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled away. He had actually kissed Yami! He couldn't believe he'd gotten up the nerve to do that!  
  
Blushing madly, Yugi said, "Gomen ne, Yami. I shouldn't have done that."  
  
Yami would have been saddened by Yugi's action if he hadn't known Yugi as well as he did. Instead, he smiled gently at Yugi.  
  
"It's alright, Yugi. It's not as if I minded or anything," he said softly. As the surprised youth looked at him, he said, "We'd best get moving now. I'm pretty sure that the others think we've been abducted by aliens or something by now."  
  
Yugi giggled, and the two of them hurried off to meet their friends.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: Well, now, Yugi's finally stopped stuttering. I'm glad I decided to let him stop, that I am. It was getting confusing to write.  
  
Yugi: (covers Yami's mouth with his hand before he can start another argument) Well, I'm just glad that you finally put up another chapter.  
  
Cherry: Yes. Gomen for the long time between updates, but I hope this chapter is good enough to make it up to you! Read and review please! 


	11. Mai Heart is Yours

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
"Mai Heart is Yours"  
  
Cherry: 119 reviews? Kami! I'm so overwhelmed!   
  
Yugi: I think you deserve it! You've worked so hard on this story.  
  
Yami: It's almost worth being trapped in here to read it.  
  
Cherry: You mean that Yami?  
  
Yami: Not really. Yugi just said I should say something nice.  
  
Cherry: (rolls eyes)  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
"Stars are sure beautiful, aren't they?" Mai commented that night as everyone headed home.  
  
"Hai," Yugi agreed. His lack of stuttering had shocked everyone upon his and Yami's arrival at the station that afternoon, but as the day progressed they became used to clearly understanding what he said. They had stayed out longer than they had meant to since they were having such fun, and it was now 9:00. They would have stayed out longer, but Yugi typically went to sleep at 9:30, and he was crashing fast, to the point where Yami was carrying him on his back. (Whether it was because Yugi was falling asleep or because he simply wanted to was anyone's guess.)  
  
Jounouchi continuously snuck side glances at Mai. The two of them had had such fun at the arcade that afternoon. Jou smirked to himself as he remembered the "fun" they'd had.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Jounouchi?" Mai said after her third consecutive win on his favorite game. "Why don't you just call it quits? I'm just going to win again."  
  
"Iie!" Jou yelled. "Jounouchi Katsuya doesn't quit!"  
  
"No, he just gets the crap kicked out of him," Mai teased, earning a dirty look. "Alright, if you're such a glutton for punishment, I'll be happy to provide."  
  
Twenty-five games later had the score at Mai-25, Jou-0, and he was finally starting to realize that she just had the edge. It was either that, or the fact that she kept on bumping her hip into him kept distracting him. He was sure that she was just teasing because of the day before, when he'd ogled her blatantly, but it was still distracting.  
  
Finally, after a while, he did concede and they walked off in search of another game they could play together.  
  
"Hey Jou, there's one," Mai said, pulling Jou towards a corner of the arcade.  
  
"What? Where?" Jou asked, dumbfounded. He suddenly found himself pushed into a corner with a blonde, beautiful, busty woman pressed flush against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "M-Mai?"  
  
Mai giggled. "You sound like Yugi," she commented before she pulled him into a bruising kiss. Jounouchi responded instantly, wrapping his arms around her waist, and his hands . . . Well, they were in inappropriate places, that's for sure.  
  
Mai let out a soft moan at Jou's touch, and she moved one of her hands under his shirt, caressing his washboard stomach and his chest. Jounouchi groaned as her fingers found one of his nipples and started to pinch at it. He responded by grasping at her butt a little tighter and caressing it, which was what she had been after. Mai's free hand tangled itself in Jounouchi's messy blonde hair when Jou pressed his tongue into her mouth. It took them a full half hour to find the will to pull away.  
  
"I like this game," Jou said, drawing a laugh from Mai.  
  
"It's almost 2:45," Mai said, checking her watch. "We should go meet up with the others."  
  
After willing their uncooperative arms to pull away from the other, they left the arcade hand in hand.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Hey, earth to Jounouchi! Come in Jounouchi!"   
  
Jou jumped and looked at Anzu, the one who had been talking to him.   
  
"Hai?" he said.  
  
"You going to wait here while we bring Yugi inside, or are you coming in?" she asked, clearly annoyed that he hadn't been listening.  
  
Jounouchi blinked and looked up. They were in front of the Kame Game Shop already. He told Anzu that he was coming inside with the rest of them, idly wondering how long he had been daydreaming.  
  
Once they were inside with the nearly asleep Yugi, Sugoroku was in their faces immediately, asking them why in the world they had been out for so long. Yugi revived long enough to tell his grandfather that they had just been having fun, and that he wasn't hurt in any way, shape, or form, and that he just wanted to go to bed. Sugoroku finally eased off a little and allowed Yami to take the small teen upstairs to bed while their friends waited downstairs.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yami pulled the covers up around Yugi's petite form, resisting the urge to give the boy a goodnight kiss. As he turned to go, he heard a faint voice from behind him say, "Arigato, Yami. I had a lot of fun today."  
  
Yami turned and smiled at Yugi, who was clearly struggling to stay awake. "It's no big deal, Yugi. I'm glad you did have some fun. You don't get to have fun enough since your parents died, and even before that," Yami said without thinking.  
  
Yugi smiled and nodded before something clicked in his mind and woke him up considerably. "Wait a second. How do you know that I never had much fun even before my parents died?" he asked quietly.  
  
Yami realized what he had said and tried to think of something quick to cover it up. "Well, I took a guess. You did say that you've never really gone out on the town before, right? I just made an assumption."  
  
Yugi blinked, then nodded. "Okay. Gomen. That just took me by surprise."  
  
"It's alright. Now, go ahead and go to sleep. I'll come by tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Hai," Yugi said, sounding sleepy again.  
  
Yami walked out of the room and headed downstairs to his waiting friends, and they all left. Yami moved so that he was standing next to Mai.  
  
"Mai, I need a big favor," he whispered.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"I need you to make sure that I don't talk too much around Yugi. I just said something to him that could have put a big damper on my cover," he explained.  
  
Mai shook her head. "You never did know when to shut up.," she sighed. "Alright. I'll keep an eye on you."  
  
"Arigato," Yami said.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"That was unconvincing," Yugi thought as he lay awake in bed. He had only pretended to be sleepy again. The fact was, he was wide awake. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he'd had a slight suspicion of Yami since he had sensed that darkness from him, and what Yami had said only heightened it.   
  
He rolled over in bed. Why, WHY wouldn't Hikari tell him what the big secret was? He hated being left in the dark! (A/n: No pun intended.) This was leaving Yugi with an uncharacteristic feeling of determination. He wanted to know what was going on, and he intended to find out!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami: (blinks)  
  
Cherry: What?  
  
Yami: I do not have a big mouth like that!  
  
Cherry and Yugi: (start laughing)  
  
Yami: WHAT?  
  
Yugi: You do too have a big mouth! You can't keep a secret from me, anyway.  
  
Yami: What? Yes I can!  
  
Yugi: You mean like when Jou told you about that little problem of his that he didn't want me to know about? Or when Anzu told you she liked me? Or when Honda . . .  
  
Yami: Okay, okay!! So I do talk a little too much to you . . .  
  
Cherry: (laughing her ass off) 


	12. Embarrassing Day to Ourselves

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
"(Embarrassing) Day to Ourselves"  
  
Yugi: It's about time you updated this story!!  
  
Yami: Yes! Do you see how many people want you to keep going?  
  
Cherry: Not including you wanting to get out of here?  
  
Yami: . . .  
  
Yugi: . . .  
  
Cherry: I thought so   
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami came over at about ten o'clock the next day. He was dying to be near Yugi. Even one night away drove him nuts; it had been all he could do to not come over too early.  
  
When Sugoroku answered the door and saw Yami standing on the other side, he became curious as to why he seemed to be hovering around Yugi so much, but since Yugi (who was coming out of the kitchen) seemed happy enough to see him, he let him in and headed into the game shop.  
  
"Good morning Yugi," Yami said pleasantly.  
  
"Hiya!" Yugi said brightly. He was becoming more and more comfortable around Yami by the minute, and despite his new resolution to discover what was going on around here, Yugi found himself wanting to spend as much time with Yami as possible. (A/n: Never mind the kiss, huh oh shy one? Yugi: Shut up and write!!) "Do you want some breakfast?"  
  
"No thanks, I ate before I came here," Yami said.  
  
Yugi smiled shyly. "Is there any special reason you're here?" he asked innocently.  
  
Becoming amused at Yugi's innocence, he answered, "I was wondering if you wanted to go do something?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe a movie or something like that. Just the two of us. What do you say?"  
  
At this, Yugi became cherry red. "J-just us al-lone?" he said, his nervousness clear from the return of his stutter. (A/n: Don't worry. It won't last long.)   
  
Yami noticed and said, "If you want to. I mean, I could always call our friends and see who else wants to come along. Mai has Jounouchi's phone number." Here he paused for a snicker, expecting Yugi to laugh too, but the boy had apparently not heard a word that Yami had said. He was staring at the floor, face becoming brighter by the second, and seemed to be lost in his own world. "Yugi?" Yami gently tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"AAHH!!" Yugi yelped suddenly, causing Yami to jump about a mile into the air. Yugi's face redefined the color red. "I'm sorry. You just scared me."  
  
"And you scared me, so I guess we're even," Yami teased lightly. At this, Yugi did smile a little, but his blush did not lessen.   
  
"Do you want me to ask the others if they want to come along?" Yami asked.  
  
"Iie," Yugi whispered. "I'd like to hang out with just you."  
  
Yami grinned. "Then you should probably get dressed in something warmer. It's a little cool outside today."  
  
Yugi nodded and turned to head upstairs . . . then proceeded to slip and stumble backwards into Yami's arms.  
  
If Yugi had blushed any brighter, he would have burst into flames.  
  
"Are you alright?" Yami asked, apparently not bothered by the situation.  
  
"H-hai," Yugi said. "N-now I need t-to go get d-dressed." He stood back up and pretty much ran up the stairs. Yami was just amused by how the littlest things could embarrass his hikari.  
  
Yami choked at that thought. His hikari? Where had that come from? Yami mentally shook himself. He needed to stay focused. He couldn't let his personal feeling to Yugi get in his way. He had to get Yugi to the Shadow Realm.  
  
"Yami?" Yugi's soft voice cut through Yami's thoughts. He was standing right in front of him, his face its typical slightly pale color. "Are we going?"  
  
Yami smiled fondly at him. "We're going, but you had better let your grandfather know first."  
  
Now it was Yugi's turn for a grin. "I already have. You were daydreaming for a while."  
  
And now it was Yami's turn for a blush; albeit a light one. "Err, let's go now."  
  
"Talk about a role reversal," Yugi mumbled. Yami blinked. Had Yugi just been teasing him?  
  
Yugi blushed a pale pink. "Come on! Let's go!" he said.  
  
And with that, the two young men were out the door.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: I am so sorry, that I am! First I take forever to update, then I give a short chapter! I promise, though, things will fire up next chapter, that they will! If I play my cards right, I may even be able to throw in a little lime, maybe even lemon!   
  
Yami: (is asleep and snoring loudly)  
  
Cherry: (glares at Yami) Does he always snore like that?  
  
Yugi: Every night.  
  
Cherry: How do you sleep?  
  
Yugi: I don't.  
  
Cherry: Why's he even asleep?  
  
Yugi: Probably because Yami likes a little spice in a story and this chapter bored him.  
  
Cherry: Oh yeah? I'll show him! (puts Yami's hand in warm water)  
  
Yugi: Cherry!  
  
Cherry: Take his hand out the water and I will handcuff you to my bed! (thinks for a moment) Please, feel free!  
  
Yugi: (backs into a wall) 


	13. I Love Him

"Dark and Light"  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
"I Love Him"  
  
Cherry: (waves at the readers meekly) Remember me? Gomen! I know I took forever to update, but I got banned from the computer for the longest time! I am so sorry, that I am!  
  
Yugi: (rolls eyes and looks at Yami) I feel really bad for him when he wakes up.  
  
Yami: (is still snoring away)  
  
Cherry: Anyways, good news for once. Since I took forever, I am definitely going to include some Yugi/Yami lime in this chapter for everyone, as a reward for such patience!  
  
Yami: (wakes up) Lime with my Aibou? (wets his pants) AAAAHHHHH!!!! WHAT THE HELL??  
  
Cherry: Serves you right for falling asleep during my story!  
  
Yami: (realizes his hand was in warm water) Damn you Cherry!  
  
Yugi: Here Yami. I have an extra pair of pants here. They should fit you.  
  
Yami: Arigato Aibou. Where do I go to change?  
  
Cherry: Bathroom right there. And the window's open if you want to escape.  
  
Yami: YES!!!!  
  
Cherry: But you'll be leaving Yugi behind.  
  
Yami: DAMMIT!!! (storms off to change)  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
"Oh! Yami, check it out! That movie wasn't playing yesterday!" Yugi said excitedly.  
  
"Yes, I know. I assume you want to see it?" Yami asked.  
  
"Yeah! It looks cool!" He grabbed Yami's hand and dragged him to the line at the ticket booth. Yami grinned at Yugi's childlike innocence and excitement. But what Yami didn't know was that Yugi was using the contact with Yami to take a good look into his soul using his powers.  
  
Yugi was still suspicious of Yami, and even though he liked him a LOT, he wasn't going to let his guard down around him. He hadn't forgotten what Yami had said to him last night. But now, searching through Yami, he sensed something odd. He felt an honest fondness for himself (Yugi) and he also sensed what seemed to be mixed emotions. It seemed Yami had to do something he really didn't want to do. What that was, Yugi couldn't begin to guess.  
  
"Um, Yugi? Can I have that hand back please?" Yami asked.  
  
Yugi jumped and blushed (again), releasing Yami's hand. "Gomen ne."   
  
"It alright. No bid deal," Yami assured him. Then he smirked and whispered, "You know, after that kiss yesterday, you'd think you would be a little less shy around me."  
  
Yugi's face became unnaturally pale, then an unnatural shade of red. "Um, you know what? Maybe we can do something else?" he said uncomfortably; people were starting to take notice of his red face.  
  
"Sure." Yami and Yugi turned away from the theater and headed down the street. "What else is there to do?"  
  
"Something that doesn't have a lot of people around," Yugi muttered, not intending for Yami to hear him. Unfortunately, he did.  
  
"What the matter ko-Yugi?" Yami asked, catching himself before he called the young boy "koi."   
  
"N-nothing's wrong Y-Yami!" Yugi tried to assure him, failing miserably when he started stuttering again.  
  
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you with that remark earlier. I was only teasing you."  
  
"N-no, that's n-not it."  
  
"You're stuttering again. What is it?" Yami nearly demanded.  
  
Yugi didn't answer.  
  
"Yugi, onegai, tell me what's wrong," Yami whispered, obvious concern lacing his words.  
  
Yugi looked at him when he heard the way Yami was speaking to him. He couldn't understand why his heart would start pounding like it was right then whenever he looked at Yami, or heard Yami speak to him softly like that. He had only known Yami for a few days! He couldn't be in love with him already, right?  
  
Right?  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yami sat on a bench near the lake in the park, watching Yugi feed some of the ducks. He couldn't believe how content he was to just watch Yugi do something simple like that, but maybe that was to be expected when you were watching someone you were in love with.   
  
He sighed.  
  
Yugi was just so beautiful, inside and outside. Yami was really starting to wonder if he'd be able to bring himself to take Yugi to the Shadow Realm and turn him over to Kaiba. He really, truly loved this boy, and even if it meant being the Light Realm for the rest of his life, he wanted to spend the rest of eternity with him.  
  
"What am I going to do?" he wondered quietly to himself. "How am I going to take Yugi to the Shadow Realm when I care about him so much?"  
  
"You'll just have to figure something out, won't you?" came a very soft, and very unexpected, voice.  
  
Yami jumped and turned to see Yugi standing right next to the bench he was sitting on.  
  
"Oh, Yugi, did you just?"  
  
"I heard what you said just now," Yugi said. "So you're from the Shadow Realm. That makes sense."  
  
"You know about the Shadow Realm?" Yami asked unbelievingly.  
  
"Hai, I do. I also have a guess as to why you're here. You need the Seed of Light that I have in my body, don't you?"  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Having the source of all light magic in my body, I have certain powers, you know. The other day when I jumped off your lap? I sensed something very off about your aura, and the darkness that radiates from you hurt me a bit. And last night, when you blurted that thing out about my parents, I knew something was up. Earlier on today when I grabbed your hand, I was doing a quick soul search." Yugi looked up at Yami. "You feel the same way about me that I do about you." Yugi smiled a little and blushed. "And you don't want to take me away from my home."  
  
Yugi misinterpreted the last bit, but Yami wasn't about to tell him the truth of why he was there. Instead, he just nodded.  
  
"You're right. But you don't know what sort of trouble my world is in," he said. "Even though this realm, the Light Realm, is primarily of light, it can survive because there is also a healthy bit of darkness here, and the two balance each other. But in my world, we're losing all touch with the light, and if we do, all the people in the Shadow Realm will die. I want to save my world, but I don't want to . . ." Yami trailed off.  
  
Then he felt a soft hand touch his face. He looked into Yugi's eyes and soon found himself drowning in the warmth, concern, and most of all, the love he saw in them. The two young men leaned towards each other and pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss, but this time, unlike the last time, they were fully aware of what they were doing, and neither one of them pulled away.  
  
Yami's tongue brushed against Yugi's lower lip, and Yugi opened up and allowed Yami to explore his mouth. Yami ran his tongue along Yugi's sensually, trying to encourage the boy to not be so shy. After a while, Yugi responded, moving his tongue to run it along Yami's teeth.  
  
After finally pulling himself away from the sweet, addictive flavor that was Yugi's mouth, Yami brought his lips to Yugi's neck and started to suck on the soft, velvety skin, making a mark that proclaimed Yugi as his own. Yugi moaned at the sensation, feeling an incredible warmth spread through his entire body. Oh, Kami, he'd never felt anything like it before! What was this that Yami was making him feel?  
  
After what felt like both an eternity, and not nearly enough time, Yami pulled away from Yugi and gave him a chaste kiss. Yugi blushed and smiled at Yami.  
  
"I want to help you," Yugi said. "I want to help your world. I'll come with you to the Shadow Realm."  
  
"Do you mean that?" Yami asked with less excitement than Yugi would have expected.  
  
"Hai," he whispered in response. "Just tell me how I can help."  
  
Yami gave Yugi a weak smile. Even though Yugi was willing to help now, was Yami willing to put Yugi through what it was going to take?  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cherry: It is so sexy to see the two of you make out, that it is! I love Yugi/Yami yaoi stories!  
  
Yugi: (blushes) Yes, well, um, that was a nice scene there.  
  
Yami: It most certainly was. (puts an arm around Yugi)  
  
Cherry: You two are so kawaii!! Anyhoozles, remember to review! Bye bye! 


End file.
